This invention is related to a vibration damper that may be used to reduce vibrations or noises present in a handheld device. Some examples of handheld devices are devices firing projectiles, such as some firearms, archery bows and the like. Handheld devices may also be striking devices, sporting equipment, tools and motorized equipment such as power tools, lawn equipment, etc. The concept in this invention can also be used in transportation devices and other rolling and/or motorized devices, such as bicycles, wagons, motorcycles, jet skis, lawn mowers, snow-blowers, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and the like.
Firearms can fire a projectile using a propellant, such as an explosive charge or a compressed gas. Examples of firearms include rifles, pistols, and machine guns. Even tanks and howitzers may be considered firearms. Upon firing a projectile, a firearm will generally experience an initial recoil and various residual vibrations. Residual vibrations may be present throughout the firearm as a whole, and further, more individualized vibrations may be present within individual components, such as the stock and the barrel, as each part may vibrate and/or resonate at certain frequencies.
An archery bow is a mechanical device used to store energy derived from the archer during the drawing of the bowstring and then when the archer releases the bowstring the energy is rapidly released. A great portion of this energy goes into the launching of the arrow, and most of the remainder finds its way back into the bow resulting in noise or being lost in the transfer process. Energy remaining in the bow immediately after firing can be felt as hand shock and system vibration.
Other examples of handheld devices are baseball bats, cricket bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks, tennis rackets, squash rackets, racquetball rackets, badminton rackets, table tennis paddles, croquet mallets, polo sticks, lacrosse sticks, oars, pool cues, nightsticks, hammers, axes, picks, saws, files, rasps, punches, chisels and rachets. Handheld devices can generate various vibrations during normal use. For example, vibrations may be generated by striking another object. These vibrations may be uncomfortable and may even cause injury.
Transportation devices may be subject to various vibrations and noises which may be present throughout the structures of the devices. Vibrations generated by a transportation device may pass through a control device or grip such as a handle, and also through a seat or other supporting apparatuses in cases where the transportation device supports an operator or passengers.
It would be desirable to damp the vibrations or noises present in the devices described above.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,257,220 and 6,382,201 to McPherson et al discussing vibration dampers as applied to archery bows, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,264,098 and 7,055,276 to McPherson discussing vibration damper as applied to handheld devices and firearms respectively are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/438,218 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.